Now I've Seen You
by Winter Sapphire
Summary: HSM Romance Themed Writing Challenge, Ryan/Kelsi. Theme Five: Why?; Moonlight Sonata: She was only half surprised to find Ryan sitting at her piano.
1. It's A Date

**High School Musical Romance Challenge**

Theme One: Friends 

Chapter Title: It's a Date

Summary: Kelsi recieves a call.

* * *

A shrill cry sliced through the air of Kelsi Nielson's bedroom like a knife, startling the teenaged girl out of her slumber. 

Muzzily, the young composer reached for the ringing phone, groping around her bedside table until her hand found the accursed object. Sleepily, she raised the phone to the ear, speaking into it grumpily.

"What the hell?"

The voice on the other end caught her by surprise, _"Whoa. Not a morning person, are you?"_

Her eyes widened slightly as she responded, "I'm a morning person... not a _two_-in-the-morning person," she muttered darkly, "Now, please tell me what possessed Ryan Evans – of _all_ people – to call me this lovely morning?"

"_Drop the sarcasm, Kelsi, please,"_ Ryan's voice begged slightly, _"I just need to ask you something."_

Kelsi sighed, feeling her resolve against Ryan melting away (it seemed to be doing that a lot lately, Kelsi noted), "All right, Ryan. You've got my attention. What's wrong?"

"_Well... you know – ah, cripes, this is harder than I thought it would be."_

"Just say it, Ryan. I don't bite – plus, even if I did, I couldn't get you over the phone." She heard Ryan laugh slightly, and she felt her lips curving upwards into a smile despite herself.

"_Right, right. Well... you know the Shamrock Dance next weekend?"_

Kelsi could have sworn her heart skipped a beat. "Ryan..." she started, slightly hesitantly, "are you... are you asking me to the dance?"

"_No! No, no, no, no!" _His voice sounded embarrassed and panicked. Kelsi's shoulders slumped, and she frowned, _"I could never ask you to do that for me. You may not know this, but you're my best friend – well, you and Sharpay, of course."_

The composer brightened slightly at that. He considered her his friend? A _best_ friend, no less? She smiled, though her face held a look of confusion, "Oh... right. Then why...?"

"_I, er, I... I don't have anything to wear, okay? You know my wardrobe is a bit..."_ He trailed off.

"Whacked?" Kelsi offered, grinning lightly. It was true, though. Ryan's wardrobe _was_ odd, normally consisting of tight pants, usually a solid, slightly strange color and a thin, decoratively designed or solid shirt with a matching hat literallytopping off the eccentric style.

Ryan huffed indigently, even though Kelsi knew he was grinning on the other end, _"I think Chad's having a negative effect on you. Stop talking to him. But, yeah... besides that, you hit the nail on the head."_

Kelsi's lips quirked with amusement, "So you called me to ask to borrow one of my dresses?"

"_Yes – no, wait. _No_! That's not even funny, Kels."_

"Then why are you calling me?" More confusion, "Shouldn't you call Troy or Chad? Or even _Zeke_?"

Ryan laughed nervously, _"Aha, yeah... see, I would, but they'd laugh at me. I considered calling Gabriella, but she'd probably advise me to check catalog books and order one – I haven't told her I'm dyslexic, you know. I really should. If I called Taylor, she'd probably kill me for calling her at two AM, and Sharpay would kill my back - again - if I asked her to help me find one by buying a whole lot of clotheswe bothdon't need, so-"_ he took a sudden breath, having not broken his trail of words since he started, _"I thought, 'Hey! Kelsi's a girl! She can help me!' And, in the end, I ended up calling you and was wondering if you'd maybe go to the mall with me tomorrow to help me find something...?"_ Ryan's voice was edged with uncertainty by the end. Kelsi couldn't help but let out a meek sigh, her face gaining a faint pink blush despite the innocence of the request (hey, she simply decided a date with a friend was still a _date_).

"Count me in," Kelsi responded, an audible sigh of relief coming from the other end, "It's a date."

"_Thank you, Kelsi!"_

"Hey," Kelsi started, smiling to herself, "What are friends for?"

And she hung up.

* * *

Halfway across town, the dial tone rang in Ryan Evans' ear. Silently, he hung the phone up, his deep blue eyes darting to the barely visible black suit hidden in the back of his closet. 

"Yeah," he muttered distantly, running a hand through his blond hair, "friends."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it. Just hope I get inspiration for another soon. ;) Oh, and about the title... I had trouble coming up with it, but I thought of"What I've Been Looking For." So, my brain went, "I wasn't sure what I've been looking for, but now I've seen you." Haha, I'm so clever! Yeah... 

Oh, and my school might be preforming High School Musical next spring for out musical! Or Aida... either way, I'm happy! Aida's good too. The gods love Nubia... -hums-


	2. Never Alone

**High School Musical Romance Challenge**

Theme Two: Death

Chapter Title: Never Alone.

Summary: Sometimes the farthest thing from your mind is what you most need.

* * *

Blue skies cascaded over the flourishing green meadows of Kentucky. 

It was the perfect day; not a cloud was in the sky and a small breeze playfully tossed at Ryan Evan's blond hair.

He didn't even notice. His sleep-deprived blue eyes stared dully at the crowd in front of him; some people were crying while others stared attentively at the podium. Somewhere in the back, the quiet laughter of a small child echoed throughout the small valley.

Ryan took a shaky breath, giving one more glance over the congregation of people who had come for him – no, scratch that; had come for his _sister_.

It didn't matter. He was here for her, too.

"On... on my way here, I tried to come up with something I could say about Sharpay," he paused, running a pale hand through his hair, "But... I couldn't. I couldn't because I tried to use my brain to figure out what I could say about her, not my heart. That was my mistake.

You know, one thing my heart did realize on the drive here was how beautiful the weather was. Sharpay always said about how she wanted her wedding to be outside on a day like this. In fact, she took me by the shoulders about two weeks ago, sat me down on the couch, and started babbling about her plans for the future. I swear, I was sitting there for hours listening to my sister talk."

There was scattered laughter throughout the crowd from some of the people who had truly known Sharpay – Troy Bolton was among them, his left arm wrapped around Gabriella's shoulders in comfort as she laughed silently through her tears. Ryan smiled sadly, breathing deeply.

"I... I just never thought that the 'perfect day' she was talking about would have been at her funeral. I never imagined she would die so... easily. I loved my sister; she was my twin. We did everything together, from brushing our teeth to drama. Though, I did draw the line when she tried to give me a makeover.

When I learned she had cancer, it crushed me as if I was a peanut under a sledgehammer. I knew life would never be the same.

But one thing remains – her memory will always live in me, her family, and her friends. I'll always love her, until I die myself."

Ryan could feel his eyes starting to water; he couldn't cry. Not in front of these people. He had to be strong.

He had to be strong for Sharpay.

Voice cracking, he bowed his head to his audience – his last audience for a while, "Th-Thank you."

Hastily, Ryan hurried off the podium and disappeared behind the curtain. Warm tears rolled down his checks, plummeting to the ground from his chin. In one swift motion, Ryan tore the microphone off his collar, threw it onto the ground, and crushed it under his foot. He could hear the feedback spread over the valley, the babble of confusion coming from the crowd.

Ryan couldn't stand it any longer. With a gut-wrenching sob, he fell to the grassy ground, pounding his fists on the ground.

"Why...?" he whispered so lowly he couldn't even hear himself, "Why would you take... what did I... what did she... _It's not fair_!"

Another sob escaped his body. Ryan shuddered, not daring to let out another breath in fear he would cry out again.

"Ryan?"

His head shot up as Ryan stifled a gasp of surprise, his eyes glancing wildly in the direction of the voice. His eyes softened slightly.

"Kelsi...?"

"Oh, Ryan..." Kelsi Nielson's voice was saturated in worry. She rushed over to his side, kneeling beside him.

The first genuine smile Ryan had in days crept onto his face, "You came."

Kelsi gave a small smile back, a look of relief washing over her face, "Of course I came. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"I didn't think... I mean, Sharpay was always... She _screamed_ at you."

Kelsi shook her head, "I don't care. All that matters is that she was your sister – your _twin_. You needed me here," she paused, moving her hand to rest on his shoulder, "I wouldn't... couldn't... let you suffer--"

A pair of lips cut her off. Ryan tenderly kissed her, his hand gently resting on her shoulder.

Emotions soared through Kelsi; her mind was a whirlwind. Hesitantly, she leaned in to receive the kiss.

A moment passed, and Ryan drew back, his eyes wide as he stared Kelsi in the face.

"... alone," Kelsi finished her sentence.

"I... thought I was alone," Ryan admitted, glancing off to the side, "But... when I saw you, I realized..."

Kelsi cut him off, gently forcing his face back to look at her, "You're never alone."

A smile crept onto Ryan's face. In a quick movement, his arms wove around Kelsi, drawing her to him.

"Thank you."

* * *

Fluffy angst. What an oxymoron. 

Thanks for the reviews, guys! I really appreciate it!

**Oh, and please remember these are all _seperate_ one-shots.**

- Winter Sapphire


	3. Oh Baby, Baby

**High School Musical Romance Challenge**

Theme Three: Musical

Chapter Title: Oh Baby, Baby

Summary: Ryan becomes the playmaker and gives Kelsi the chance to be his player.

* * *

She didn't understand why he didn't get it. _He_ was the player. _She_ was the playmaker. He sang the music that she wrote, not the other way around. 

So _why_ was he trying to change it?

"Please, Kelsi? I wrote it just so I could hear you sing it!"

"I don't care."

"But why not?"

"_Because_."

"Because is _not_ a reason!"

Kelsi wheeled around, staring Ryan down with wild eyes, "Ryan, I do _not_ want to sing your song! I can't sing!"

"Yes you _can_!" Ryan argued, flailing the manila folder in the air, "I've heard you before, you know!"

Kelsi huffed, "You heard me singing in the shower when you snuck into my house at eleven o-clock at night – which I _still_ don't have an explanation for – and we all know the vapors of the water makes voices sound better than they really are."

"And you sounded like a goddess, so you'd _still_ be better than most of the people I know!" Ryan paused, glancing around before he added in a low whisper, "_And that includes Sharpay_."

Kelsi started at that, "You think I'm better than your-"

"_Shhhh_!" Ryan weaved his free arm around her head, clamping his hand over her mouth, his eyes wild as he whispered in her ear from behind, "_Not too loudly_."

Kelsi froze at their proximity, her heart suddenly pounding like a sledgehammer as his words tickled her ear. _What is this?_

"Ryan...?" her voice came out in a choked whisper, and he felt his entire body stiffen behind her. He swallowed loudly, taking a shaky breath before letting her go.

"Sorry." He muttered, and when she chanced a glance at him he was staring at the ground, "I-" he rubbed the back of his neck, once again holding out the manila folder for her, "Just... look at it, okay?" He glanced up at her from beneath his hat, a sheepish smile on his face, 'Then you can decide whether or not you'll sing it for me?"

Kelsi took the folder gently in her hands, the idea of it having been written for her suddenly a _whole_ lot more precious, "Yeah. Deal."

Ryan's face brightened as he stood up straight, tipping his hat to her and mock bowing, "Why thank you, milady." The bell rang then, and Ryan blinked, 'Oops, my free-period's over. Gotta get to class." He smiled at her widely as he disappeared around the corner.

Kelsi stood there for a minute more, still feeling disoriented, before she opened the folder, reading the words carefully to herself.

_Oh, oh, oh  
Fate plays a hand  
In more ways than one  
With plans so grand  
They outshine the sun_

_I remember that day  
As we walked separate paths  
We were goin' opposite ways_  
'_Til our roads collided and crashed_

_Oh baby, baby,  
If I smile,  
smile back  
Oh baby, baby,  
If I ever hurt you,  
don't hold back  
Oh baby, baby  
When I look at you,  
There's a heart attack  
Oh baby, baby,  
If I said I loved you,  
would you say it back?_

_Oh, oh, oh  
Fate gave us a chance  
On this track of our lives  
For our hearts to dance  
And our love to thrive  
_

_Oh baby, baby,  
As you once said,_  
"_We're soarin'  
We're flyin'"  
Now let's soar ahead_

_Oh baby, baby,  
As you once said,_  
"_We're soarin'  
We're flyin,"  
Now let's soar ahead_

* * *

I know, weird place to stop. But it felt good. 

So anyway... HI! I know, I haven't updated this in forever. I'm sorry! But I'm somewhat back now. :) Along with two other stories I have to work on, and one that's on hiatus waiting for inspiration... heh.

To remind you people: These are all separate one-shots. There will be thirty-five of them total. Eventually.

Review, review, review!!! (I accept anonymous ones too).

-WS

PS, the song "Oh Baby, Baby " is (c) to me. I wrote it just for this fic. Please don't use it without my permission.


	4. Last Minute Plans

_**High School Musical Romance Challenge**_

Theme Four: Running

Title: Last Minute Plans

Summary: When inspiration hit Ryan wasn't the type to ignore it. Takes place the night before the talent show in HSM2.

* * *

He was running.

The sky was dark. The glow from the moon penetrated through the clouds, illuminating the ground in haphazard patterns of white light.

Ryan Evans slowed to a stop at the end of his street, breathing deeply to try and calm his racing heart. He glanced backwards quickly to check for any sign he had been followed; nothing. With a deep sigh Ryan adjusted his hat on top of his head, glanced back once more, and disappeared in a jog around the corner.

_God, Kels, I hope you're awake._

---

It wasn't that Kelsi was a particularly light sleeper. In fact, she usually slept so soundly that she could even sleep through her alarm clock on occasion.

However, Kelsi would've had to have been a rock in order to miss the noise coming from outside her window.

"_Kelsi_! Kelsi, Kelsi, _Kelsi_! Kels! Come on, wake up!" There was an insistent banging on her window to accompany the familiar voice and Kelsi couldn't help but roll from one side to the other to stare bleakly at the window. It didn't surprise her in the least that Ryan was staring at her expectantly through the glass, perched on the roof that extended from the outside of her room.

With a groan Kelsi pushed herself to her feet and trudged to the window, pushing it open and quickly standing back so Ryan could get in. He grinned at her good-naturedly as he shut the window again for her before plopping on her bed with a sigh.

"Don't you ever visit at normal times?" Kelsi mumbled as she sat behind him, rubbing her hand over her eyes sleepily. "You know, like at three in the afternoon rather than three in the _morning_?"

"Nope." Ryan snatched a hat that was hanging off a bedpost and quickly replaced his own with it. "I got inspiration--you know, for _Everyday_?"

Kelsi stared at him blankly for a second before stating slowly, "Ryan, the talent show is _tomorrow_. And--we can't even _preform_ in it, remember? Your sister's made it impossible."

Ryan scoffed lightly. "No, she hasn't. She only thinks she has. Look," he glanced at her, flicking a piece of her bangs out of her eyes, "we can still do this. I didn't run all the way here at three o'clock in the morning for cynicism."

Kelsi quirked an eyebrow. "You ran here? Don't you have a car?"

He raised his eyebrows back at her. "What, and risk waking Sharpay up with the noise from the engine? No, thanks. That would ruin everything."

Kelsi frowned slightly in confusion, her voice questioning, "Everything?"

"Can you make it so that _Everyday_ opens up with just two people singing?" The grin reappeared on his face. "And maybe, I don't know, make it within the vocal ranges of, say... Troy and Gabriella?"

Kelsi gaped at him for only a split second before scrambling to her feet and rushing over to her desk. "Oh my God." Papers were splayed out in front of her in an instant, a pencil in her hand. "Oh my _God_." She turned back to him, the grin on her face matching his own. "Ryan, you're a _genius_! I swear I could kiss you right now."

Ryan laughed as he made his way beside her, pulling up an extra chair as he did. "No time for fish faces now, Kels. We have a song to fix, and only a few hours to do it." He cast her a sidelong glance, his gaze softening, "... Though I wouldn't mind taking a rain check for it to redeem at another time."

Kelsi shot him a shocked glance, her face tinting a slight pink before she cleared her throat and turned back to the music. "Come on, Wildcat, time to get cracking." She cast him one more glance, the faintest of smiles on her lips. "Like you said, we only have a few hours."

* * *

I'm back with this (ancient) challenge. :) Missed me? It's been over a year, yeesh. Bad me.

Seriously, though, Ryan and Kelsi totally gave me the vibe that they planned that entire thing out in more than fifteen minutes. I'm sure they had more steps, too, in order get Troy away from Sharpay's grasp to sing with Gabriella, but he did that on his own so they didn't have to. ;)

Reviews are loved!

-WS


	5. Moonlight Sonata

**High School Musical Romance Challenge**

Theme Five: Why?

Title: Moonlight Sonata

Summary: She was only half surprised to find Ryan sitting at her piano.

* * *

Kelsi felt tears prick at her eyes as she curled into a ball on her bed. It wasn't fair--none of it was. She had been so _happy_ when Ryan had asked her to prom; she'd always had a thing for him, ever since they were young. She had always thought it was silly, just a meaningless crush that would disappear, and when Jason had asked her out the end of her junior year she thought it had. As it turned out he had only been a temporary buffer for it and when they had broken it off Ryan's image had pushed its way immediately back into her mind.

And now here she was on the night of her senior prom, curled up on her bed in her pajamas, attempting to nurse her broken heart. All because Ryan Evans had listened to his sister. Just like always.

Kelsi closed her eyes tightly and let out a slow sigh, trying to let her mind drift to anywhere but where it was, and for a few moments her world seemed to be covered in a blanket of silence.

And then she realized her world wasn't silent at all. The familiar sound of music was drifting calmly up the stairs from the piano in her family's living room. In fact, Kelsi realized suddenly with a frown as she pushed herself to her feet, the music was _very_ familiar. _Senior Year_ familiar.

And hadn't her parents gone out for the night?

Kelsi quickly opened her bedroom door, hurrying down the stairs and rounding the corner as quietly as she could. She was only half surprised to find Ryan sitting at her piano in his tux, truth be told, but a voice told her there was _something_ odd about the way he carefully picked out the chords of _Just Wanna Be With You_ from memory.

"Ryan?" Her voice was quiet as she spoke, hesitant. The choreographer jumped slightly on the piano bench as he paused in his playing, his gaze quickly flitting over to meet hers. Something about the look in his eyes made Kelsi think he was going to jump up and approach her, but just as fleeting as his gaze had landed on her it was back on the piano and he had started playing again, softly adding his voice.

"_I got a lot of things... I have to do. All these distractions, my future's coming soon. We're being pulled a hundred different directions. But whatever happens_..." he paused suddenly and swallowed thickly, lifting his hands from the piano as he turned to look back at her, his eyes wide with sincerity. "... I know I've got you_._ Kels," his voice turned slightly pleading, "I _swear_ I didn't ask you for the song or Sharpay. I know that's what it looked like, but I _swear_--"

"Why?" Kelsi interrupted suddenly, taking a step closer to him and Ryan shifted uncomfortably on the bench.

"You mean, why'd I ask you?"

"Why'd you ask me, why are you _here_--" she paused, frowning slightly, "How'd you even get in the house?"

"Kelsi," Ryan let a small smile form on his lips as he stood up, "I asked you for the reason any guy asks a girl to prom--I like you. A lot. You've been my friend ever since I moved here, best friend even, and you... you're _amazing_. And you gave Sharpay an extra key to the house in 10th grade, remember? She's my twin, I know where she hides stuff." He paused slightly, letting out a slow breath as he averted his gaze momentarily and reached inside of his coat, "As for why I'm here, well..." He slowly pulled out a red rose corsage that had been carefully folded inside, and he quickly looked back up at her, "It's prom night, and I want to spend it with the girl I asked."

Kelsi stared breathlessly at the flowers, feeling a blush crossing over her face unbidden. Ryan held the corsage out to her, a nervous smile crossing over his usually confident face.

"So, what do you say? Can I have this dance?"

Kelsi swallowed, holding out her wrist as she nodded slowly. "I'm not--my dress..." she murmured under her breath as she tried (and failed) to ignore the tingling feeling that spread over her skin as Ryan slipped the corsage over her wrist.

"You look beautiful," he countered softly as he pulled her closer, letting his hands settle at her waist and his mouth rest just above her ear as he began to hum lowly into it. Kelsi immediately relaxed, her hands clutching at the front of his tux as she nestled her head onto his shoulder, and as they began to slowly sway together the question of "why?" didn't seem nearly as important as it had before.

* * *

Ahhh, the fluff! You could swim in it, I swear!

Okay, so I totally put off finishing an outline for a speech just to finish writing this, so... be appreciative, darn it! Haha, just kidding. :P But seriously, I hope you liked it and it wasn't too sugary for you (unless you like it that way, of course, in which case I'm glad to have been of service!). Anyway, the idea for this came a while ago actually, before my last chapter, and I just couldn't get the image of Ryan serenading Kelsi in her own home in a similar way to Troy and Gabriella at Stanford, you know?

And about him playing it from memory... I decided to add that in there to show Kelsi that if he had wanted to he had had the song all along, locked up in that wonderful brain. :)

Anyways, **reviews=love**! And now for, ick, homework...

-WS


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